


Eye for an Eye

by Canadiantardis



Series: Whumptober 2020 [9]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Established Relationship, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, One Shot, Polyamory, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26488087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canadiantardis/pseuds/Canadiantardis
Summary: The last thing Patton wanted to do at a quarter to four in the morning was get dressed for a fight, and he heard how his partners felt the same. They had all stayed up late working on homework and crashed on their shared bed the moment they finally finished.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: Whumptober 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920886
Comments: 7
Kudos: 31





	Eye for an Eye

**Author's Note:**

> Day 9: "Take me instead"  
> I will admit I wasn't entirely thrilled with what I came up here, except maybe the direction where the ending headed. I know I could have definitely written it better, but as it is, I'm fine with it.

The last thing Patton wanted to do at a quarter to four in the morning was get dressed for a fight, and he heard how his partners felt the same. They had all stayed up late working on homework and crashed on their shared bed the moment they finally finished.

Patton swiped for the alarm with a groan, coming from the wristwatch he got when the city recognized him and the others as vigilante heroes, working to protect the city from any bad guys. He read the time and had half a mind to fling the watch against the wall.

Instead, he rolled out of bed with a grunt and thumping of feet, rubbing his tired eyes. He wished for once on a Saturday, things could be back to normal. No classes, no morning fights with some misled powered person who thought stealing or robbing or hurting people was the right thing to do, nothing except sleep with Virgil and Janus. Since he and the others had been recognized, however, things were never that simple. He should count his blessings that they were being called on a Saturday, and not a school night. Patton wasn’t sure he would have been able to take it anymore with all the stress of secret herowork and civilian life being separate entities.

Virgil rolled out of bed next with a heavy thud of feet on the floor. His eyes were mostly shut and he yawned widely, trudging out of the room without a word or acknowledgement that Patton was even awake with him. He was likely going to grab an energy drink for the three of them before they left to deal with whatever was going on.

Patton had to yank the blankets away from Janus to make him leave the comfy, warm bed, along with a huskily said promise they’d cuddle for the rest of the day when they got back home. As always, the voice got Janus up and awake.

They got into their costumes, clumsy with sleep still deep in their bones as the energy drinks Virgil brought back up made their way through their systems, but eventually they were dressed, their outfits facing forward and not inside-out and their face coverings securely in place, Virgil’s makeup skills, covering them up in case their masks were ever taken away, never disappointing even when he was standing half-asleep.

Once they were ready and a bit more awake, Janus teleported them to the location Patton’s watch displayed, a quiet street in the business district.

It was too quiet.

“What’s supposed to be going on here?” Janus asked, grabbing Patton’s arm that had the wristwatch and put it close to his face, reading the location and situation that was displayed on the face. “What attack?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t like it,” Virgil muttered, looking around with narrowed eyes.

Patton was still waking up, so it was a surprise when a force bowled him over onto his stomach.

“Heart!” The other two cried before they sounded like they had been pushed forward as well.

Patton twisted around, looking around for their assailant before seeing a figure further than where he had imagined they would be. He hurriedly shrunk down in a finch and took off before another force blast took him out of the game completely. He skirted the blast by his tail feathers and twittered in relief before he shifted back, landing on his feet and running towards their attacker.

The attacker was larger than all three of them, and looked several, several years older, and they used their power like they were throwing punches. They threw a punch at Patton, who dodged to the side to avoid the force blast before the two made contact. Shifting his body partially, he threw a punch with the strength of a gorilla, hitting the other in the side.

“Isn’t it early for you too, man?” He questioned, getting on the defensive when the attacker stumbled back, regaining their balance. “Why are you out here so early?”

The attacker didn’t answer and just threw another blast at him. Patton huffed as he twisted out of the way just in time.

“Quiet-type, huh? _Quiet_ an old stereotype you’re playing,” he joked, lighting up with the displeased expression the other gave him. “Not a pun-person, are ya? Sorry, but I don’t think we’re gonna get along!”

He sprung up and kicked down hard at the person’s shoulder and down they went with a quiet but cut-off grunt of pain, motionless. Wiping his hands of imaginary dirt, Patton turned to where his partners had been, relieved the threat was gone when he saw there had been more. Many, many more.

Janus was out cold with two people holding him by his upper arms, the only reason he wasn’t on the ground in a crumpled pile was because of them. The two people were taking him away as Virgil still fought others trying to grab him through his protective wind. Patton hadn’t even noticed the wind had picked up considerably until then.

“V-Anx!” Patton shouted, shifting into a finch again and swooping forward faster than he could have run, shifting back to bodily tackle one of the people attacking Virgil. “They’re taking Deceit!”

“I know, I’m just a little, ugh, _busy_ at the moment!” Virgil shouted back, flicking a wrist to direct the wind in a new direction as someone attempted to leap through. “Go get him before they get away!”

“What about you?” Despite them being much closer, they still had to shout to each other to be heard over the wind.

“I’ll let you know if I need some backup, hurry up!” Virgil waved an arm and pushed Patton towards where Janus was being dragged and that was all the forcefulness he needed to feel a surge of protectiveness sweep over him.

Patton ran at the people holding the unconscious Janus, but just as he was about to reach them, something slammed him back, a ripple effect from where he had impacted. He shook himself, pushing forward. It wasn’t like Virgil’s wind, there was no visible sign of whatever was holding him back other than the air rippling where he made contact with it. _Likely a forcefield?_

He semi-shifted his legs into that of a tiger and pushed as hard as he could to get to Janus. One of the people holding him looked pained as Patton worked against his power, refusing to give up, and he was wearing on the person’s powers.

“You… are not… taking him!” Patton shouted with every push until the person crumpled and the forcefield vanished, Patton tumbling forward in surprise.

He scrambled back to his feet to see another pick up the unconscious powered and yet another - he wondered where they were coming from, it was like they had all been invisible until this very moment - grabbed Janus. This one, however, Patton recognized. He had fought this one before, along with their brother.

“What are you doing?” He called. They would be in a stalemate if he went forward.

The one holding Janus now held a wicked looking skinning knife at the ready. They held Janus tightly and the other who had been holding his other arm stepped aside, although they too looked ready to fight if Patton attempted anything.

“An eye for an eye,” the one holding the knife said, lazily twirling it in his hand. “You took my brother away, I’m here to get even.”

“No, don’t!” Patton took a step forward, but the knife was brought directly to Janus’ throat and he stopped dead in his tracks. “Take me instead. He has nothing to do with this.”

They laughed, throwing their head back into the motion, before stopping abruptly, their face like stone. “You should have thought of that before you took my brother.”

His heart in his throat, Patton leaped forward, helped by his shifted legs, but not fast enough. A vicious swipe across the throat and scarlet flew into the air and the world turned red, red, _red._ Patton couldn’t see anything else, couldn’t hear anything other than a high-pitched ringing, barely felt it when he fell to his knees the same moment Janus was dropped. Everything felt slow, like time had stopped.

Then, everything sped up incredibly fast. Patton reached Janus before his head could bounce off the pavement, and he held him close, trying to find a way to stop the bleeding while his mind went white and hazy. He felt like he could hear someone screaming. It could have been him, he wasn’t sure about any of his other senses other than sight, which he was having a hard time processing. Because what he was seeing had to be impossible.

Janus couldn’t be dying. Couldn’t be dead.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [ LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:  
> Feedback
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